Turkey’s final warning to Syria: Tomorrow may be too late for reforms

• We have spoken to the refugees; you cannot say ‘there is no oppression against the people’
• Allow the international press to have free access to the country; otherwise nobody will believe you

Turkey has delivered a blunt message to the Syrian leadership, saying the regime's willingness to undertake sweeping reforms in the unrest-laden country will determine the position of Turkey in the coming days, if not weeks, diplomatic sources told Today's Zaman. [...]

 

According to an incremental plan, Turkey will start supporting tougher UN resolutions if the regime fails to live up to the expectations of the international community.

 

The strongest message yet to the Syrian leadership was conveyed by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who spoke with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's special envoy, Hassan Turkmani, earlier this week.

 

“We underlined that Turkish support to Syria hinges on the willingness of the Syrian government to adopt sweeping reforms in the country. We detailed our suggestions before and even relayed a written proposal to Damascus on how they should proceed to stabilize the country,” the source explained.

“Actually, the situation in Syria is not exactly like the one in Libya. Syria is practically a domestic issue for us, I have said this many times. We have a [common] border that extends for 850-900 kilometres.

 

Currently there are [people] entering Turkey through the Altinozu [district]. [...]  We really cannot close our gates to people fleeing for their lives and seeking refuge in Turkey. We have to let them in. But, of course, how long this will continue, that’s another matter. [...] 

 

I say this clearly and openly, from a humanitarian point of view, his brother [Maher Assad] is not behaving in a humane manner. And he is chasing after savagery. Their appearance next to the women they have killed is such an ugly sight. These scenes are hard to stomach.

 

This [situation] is inevitably leading to the United Nations Security Council’s involvement and preparations are being made there as well. So, in the face of all this we cannot continue to support Syria. Because we do have relatives [living] there.”

The Syria for Change conference, a three-day meeting held by opponents of the Syrian government in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, ended on Friday with the participants declaring their full support for the revolution and regime change in Syria.

Turkish generals have thus prepared an operation that would send several battalions of Turkish troops into Syria itself to carve out a “safe area” for Syrian refugees inside Assad's caliphate. The Turks are prepared to advance well beyond the Syrian border town of Al Qamishli – perhaps half way to Deir el-Zour [...] to provide a “safe haven” for those fleeing the slaughter in Syria's cities.